A request by the Cambodian government for a delay in its universal periodic review (UPR) hearing at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which was supposed to be Thursday, has been accepted, according to a rights group that was to deliver a statement on the country’s human rights record.
A request by the Cambodian government for a delay in its universal periodic review (UPR) hearing at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which was supposed to be Thursday, has been accepted, according to a rights group that was to deliver a statement on the country’s human rights record.
Nicolas Agostini, the U.N. delegate for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), said by telephone from Geneva that the hearing is postponed for a further week, giving the government more time to prepare to explain to the council how it will implement recommendations on improving its human rights situation.
Mr. Agostini said the request is “quite unusual,” particularly given the government’s receipt of “significant” assistance from the U.N.
“Seven days do not make any difference in terms of political will,” he said.
“It should also have taken the Cambodian authorities much less that five months to say whether they intend to investigate the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters and to fight impunity for abuses committed by state agents.”
In October, Cambodia also missed its deadline to submit its updated UPR report to the HRC.